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Posted in Kentucky Only In Your State February 28, 2017 by Rachel Shulhafer

If you ever pass by one of these restaurants, don’t be put off by their unsuspecting and modest exteriors. They may look small and simple, but the food they serve is absolutely mouthwatering. Once you give these places a try, you’ll definitely keep returning for more.

1. JK’s at Forest Grove, Winchester

This charming little hole-in-the wall has a wide variety of delicious sandwiches, and they are on Kentucky’s Beer Cheese Trail. They have an old-fashioned ice chest full of Kentucky’s favorite soda, Ale-8-One. You’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time when you visit here. JK’s at Forest Grove is located at 4636 Old Boonesboro Road, Winchester, KY 40391.

By Seth Littrell The Winchester Sun Published 8:13 am Tuesday, January 31, 2017

People traveling down the Hemp Highway of Kentucky looking for a unique treat to commemorate the adventure have a new option here in Winchester.

Laura’s Mercantile, owned by Clark County residents Laura Freeman and Ben Pasley, is partnering with Ruth Hunt Candies of Mount Sterling to offer sweet, prepackaged memories in the form of hemp chocolates.

Freeman, the former owner of Laura’s Lean Beef, said that she became interested in experimenting with hemp on her Clark County farm after the creation of the hemp pilot program through the 2014 Farm Bill.

“We put it in an organic field out here, which was 13 acres of very valuable ground,” she said. “I mean, you could get an expensive crop of organic corn off of it or something like that.”

“Winter is a great time to explore Lower Howard’s Creek without its usual cover of vegetation blocking our views of its unique topography,” Sipple said in a news release. “It’s an opportunity to visit areas not usually seen in the other three seasons of the year, and heat is not an issue.”

All hikes will begin at 10 a.m. at the main entrance on Athens-Boonesboro Road unless otherwise noted.

— Feb. 4: Dust off your hiking boots and come hike with Dr. Bill Crankshaw, 91 years young and the Preserve’s most active volunteer.

— Feb. 18: The Preserve’s manager, Clare Sipple, will be leading this hike, and will take visitors to some of her favorite out-of-the-way places within the Preserve.

— March 4: In like a lion or a lamb, the days are getting longer now and we will explore old homesteads looking for signs of spring. Dr. Crankshaw will lead this hike.

— March 18: A few ephemeral early wildflowers may be showing themselves on this hike. Clare Sipple will lead this hike.

By Whitney Leggett The Winchester Sun Published 9:46 am Friday, January 20, 2017

A vacant and derelict property on East Broadway once slated to be demolished to make room for a parking lot will have a new lease on life.

The Winchester Board of Commissioners approved the sale of the property at 31 E. Broadway St. for $23,000 Tuesday night.

Winchester Mayor Ed Burtner said the property was home to an African-American Methodist church from the late 1800s until about 1927, when the congregation moved to its current home at the corner of Burns Avenue and Broadway Street.

The city acquired the property in September 2001 for $65,000 from Harold and Mary Jordan with intentions of tearing the building down and expanding city parking.

Winchester Mayor Ed Burtner said in the meeting Tuesday the city began using the basement of the property as space for parks maintenance while renovations were being made to the facility at College Park.

However, the property has been neglected for most of the last 15 years. With broken windows and walls that are literally falling apart, the building still remains.

In stepped Laura Freeman with Pillar of the Community LLC, which is in the final stages of purchasing the property to be restored.

Posted in Kentucky Only In Your State January 16, 2017 by Rachel Shulhafer

Sandwiches really are a perfect meal. You can have them for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and you can make them as filling or light as you want. There really aren’t many things you can’t put in a sandwich, so you can be both creative and classic. Kentucky has some restaurants that put together great sandwiches, and you’ll definitely want add these nine to your Kentucky culinary bucket list.

2. The Hot Mess at Cairn Coffee House, Winchester

The Cairn is a non-profit organization that houses a direct trade coffee shop on the first floor, and a community center for teens on the second floor. Stop in the coffee shop for a wide variety of coffees and teas, as well for a light meal or gelato. They are on the Kentucky Beer Cheese Trail, so be sure to try their Hot Mess Sandwich, which is a grilled panini with American cheese, beer cheese, pepperoni, bacon, and crushed Grippos’s barbecue-flavored chips. Cairn Coffee House is located at 17 S. Main Street, Winchester, KY 40391.

Posted in Kentucky Only In Your State January 15, 2017 by Rachel Shulhafer

The television show Cheers really showcased how great it can be to have a reliable neighborhood restaurant or watering hole. If you don’t feel like cooking dinner one night, or just want to get out of the house for a bit, neighborhood restaurants are like a home away from home. Plus you’ll most likely see someone you know, so you’ll have good company too. Here are 12 neighborhood restaurants in Kentucky where everyone knows your name.

1. JK’s at Forest Grove, Winchester

Stop in at this quaint little restaurant for lunch. You’ll feel like you’re eating at an old-fashioned country lunch counter. They are on Kentucky’s Beer Cheese Trail, so be sure to try some with an ice cold Ale 8. JK’s is located at 4636 Old Boonesboro Road, Winchester, KY 40391.

Everyone from Kentucky knows about the Bourbon Trail, and even the Urban Bourbon Trail in Louisville, but did you know Kentucky has a beer cheese trail? First served at John Allman’s Driftwood Inn Restaurant in the 1940s, beer cheese has become a signature spread of Kentucky. The trail that celebrates this creamy, cheesy culinary wonder stays around Winchester and Clark County, given that it’s the birth place of beer cheese. A lot of restaurants like to keep their recipe a secret, but the usual ingredients include cheese (obviously), a flat beer, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and a combination of spices such as cayenne and garlic powder. Due to its popularity, there are a lot of different kinds of beer cheese out there these days, but these eight stops on the beer cheese trail are the real deal. Continue reading the article by clicking http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/kentucky/beer-cheese-trail-ky/

My boys and I discovered that Winchester, KY makes a great day trip from Cincinnati. Winchester is located about 1.5 hours away from Cincinnati and 30 minutes from Lexington, KY.

1st stop- Ale-8-One Plant Tour located at 25 Carol Rd, Winchester, KY. Ale-8-One, A Late One, or Ale-8 is Kentucky’s special soft drink that is a citrus/ginger blend. The name was result of a naming contest at the Clark County Fair. “A Late One” was slang used in the 1920’s for the latest thing. The drink celebrated their 90th birthday this year and it has continued to grow in popularity and expand in markets beyond Kentucky. The drink is the only soft drink invented in Kentucky that is still in existence and has been bottled in Winchester since 1926. The Ale-8 Plant tour has been on my bucket list for a while and it’s our go to drink when we go camping and visit places in Kentucky.